The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys lost two offensive linemen to injury during practice, a third was injured Saturday night, and two players were injured in a car accident Friday night.

Oh, and there’s that 17-point deficit in the third quarter ATU had to deal with to win its sixth straight Homecoming football game.

But the Wonder Boys kept fighting and fighting, until they walked off Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field with a 45-38 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday in front of 6,085 fans.

“I want to say how proud I am of this coaching staff and this team of being down where were at, and we kept fighting and fighting and fighting,” head coach Steve Mullins said. “The defense had some great turnovers for us in the second half that we were able to capitalize on. The safety became a factor as we tried to build the score, we had to go for two a couple of times and got it.

“I’m just so proud of our guys for coming out and playing the second half like we did. It’s obvious now that we lost two starters in Tuesday’s practice [Tyler Kell and Justin Moss], and for the offense to do what it did without those guys. They got to him a little bit, but I thought we did a great job protecting [quarterback] Tanner [Marsh]. The offensive line did an outstanding job. The running backs ran hard. I’m just so happy to win this game, and with it being Homecoming, that makes it a little more special for everybody. I hope they left with a good taste in their mouth tonight.”

ATU (3-3, 1-2 Great American Conference) received the opening kickoff of the third quarter, but was forced to punt. Southeastern State (1-4, 0-3) needed four plays to cover 68 yards in less than a minute and a half. Ladarius Abrams gained 18 yards to midfield, then rambled 48 yards for a touchdown. Chris Peoples’ PAT gave the Savage Storm a 31-14 lead with 12:18 showing.

The Wonder Boys went down the field again, mostly on the ground, but the 9-play, 47-yard drive stalled at the SEOS 20. Arkansas Tech had to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Trevor Pinkston to cut the Wonder Boys’ deficit to 31-17 with 8:56 to go in the third quarter.

The Savage Storm took over at their 14, but disaster struck when quarterback Jercolby Bradley’s pass ricocheted off someone’s helmet. Tech’s Michael Waldon picked the ball out of the air at the 33, his third interception of the season, and returned it to the Southeastern State 5.

Marsh’s pass fell incomplete on third down, but the Savage Storm committed a penalty and gave ATU another chance and a first down at the 2. Senior Casey Henderson crossed the goal line from a yard out, and Pinkston’s PAT made it 31-24 with 6:11 left in the third quarter.

Things got worse for the Savage Storm when they tried to punt after their next possession. Facing fourth and 5 at their 27, the snap sailed over Jared Heim’s head and into the back of the end zone for the safety. That pulled the Wonder Boys within 31-26 with 4:38 remaining in the third.

Arkansas Tech dodged a bullet after getting the free kick. At the SEOS 37, Tavadrick Lee’s reverse pass to John Simpson was intercepted by Southeastern State, but offsetting penalties negated the play and the turnover. Ketrich Harmon picked up another first down at the 24, but the drive stalled at the 19 on an incomplete third-down pass.

Pinkston’s third straight field goal, this one 36 yards, cut the Wonder Boys’ gap to 31-29 with 57 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Savage Storm ran out of air after the start of the fourth quarter, when Bradley’s pass was intercepted by Quinton Abron at the ATU 46 and returned to the SEOS 40. A reverse pass from wide receiver Jonathan Keener to Marsh was good for a 16-yard gain. Harmon, who ended up with 15 carries or 79 yards, rushed to the 11, then to the 5.

J.J. Ford got to the 1, then Henderson went up the middle and untouched into the end zone for his second touchdown. Pinkston’s PAT gave the Wonder Boys a 37-31 lead with 12:12 to go in the fourth quarter.

But Southeastern State answered with a 74-yard, 9-play drive that lasted three and a half minutes. C.J. Kirk scored on a 10-yard touchdown run, and Peoples’ PAT gave the Savage Storm a 38-37 lead with 8:30 left in the game.

Arkansas Tech took the lead for good and needed only three plays to cover 70 yards. Marsh, who completed 16-of-31 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns, completed a 55-yard bomb to John Simpson at the SEOS 15. On second down, Marsh hit Ford on a 12-yard touchdown pass. Pinkston’s PAT made it 45-38 Wonder Boys with 7:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Both teams were forced to punt, and the Savage Storm started on offense at its 19 with 1:34 to go. Bradley’s pass to Anthony Gale was good for a first down at the 34. Bradley then hit Kirk for a 26-yard pass and catch to the ATU 38.

But later on fourth down and Southeastern State needing one yard, Bradley was stopped by the Wonder Boys, who took over on downs with 54 seconds left. Marsh took a knee to run out the clock.

“Our big worry was containing their quarterback, which we did not do,” Mullins explained. “We didn’t do any better job of containing him than anyone else has so far. I was hoping we could. He [Bradley] had an outstanding game with his scrambling ability [16 carries, 114 yards].

“We’re getting some people back healthy, like Harmon, he was a big factor tonight. Having him back and healthy just makes a big difference in our offense. Cody Lewis goes down with an injury, and Harmon picks up his spot. There was a lot of emotion built into this with the guys we had out who could not play, and for the other guys to rise up -- as a coach, it just makes you feel so good.”

The Savage Storm didn’t waste any time taking a 7-0 lead. Bradley connected with Gale on a 62-yard touchdown pass that capped a 4-play, 79-yard drive. Peoples’ PAT gave SEOS a 7-0 lead a minute and a half into the first quarter.

The Wonder Boys answered with a quick strike of their own. At their 37, Marsh threw a 60-yard bomb to Cassius Washington, who split double coverage and carried defenders down to the Savage Storm 3. Marsh then threw to Ford, who fell across the goal line for the touchdown. Trevor Pinkston’s PAT tied the game, 7-7, with 12:18 remaining in the first after the 3-play, 68-yard drive that took only a minute and seven seconds.

Southeastern State regained the lead with 1:09 left in the opening quarter when Abrams scored from 2 yards out. Bradley rushed four times for 66 yards on the 10-play, 80 yard drive, and Peoples’ kick gave the Savage Storm a 14-7 lead.

Kirk scored from a yard out to give SEOS Storm a 21-7 lead with 6:16 to go in the second quarter. The 13-play drive covered 79 yards and took 5:39 off the clock.

ATU responded with a 6-play, 44-yard drive after Jermaine Merdock returned the ensuing kickoff past midfield.

Marsh converted a fourth-and-4 with his bootleg to the 38. He rushed to the 26 on the next play, then down to the 2. He crossed the goal line from there, and Pinkston’s PAT pulled the Wonder Boys within 21-14 with 4:29 left in the first half.

The Savage Storm were stopped at the ATU 36 and elected to punt on fourth down. Southeastern State pinned the Wonder Boys at the 1, but Marsh got the first down up near the 20. However, he also “fumbled” when he dropped back to pass, and the Savage Storm recovered at the Arkansas Tech 20 with a minute left in the first half.

The Wonder Boys kept Southeastern State out of the end zone, but Peoples booted a 28-yard field goal as time expired to set the halftime sore at 24-14.

“I guess it’s a fumble, that’s what the officials called it,” Mullins said. “We gave them that momentum. Our defense came in and did a good job stopping them, making them kick a field goal, but they still had momentum going in to halftime. We just talked to the team about the fact we’ve been a second-half team all year long, and we’ve just got to keep going and keep fighting, and they did.”

The Savage Storm outgained ATU in total offense 489-428. Abrams finished with 176 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. Kirk had 54 yards on nine rushes and two TDs. Bradley completed 13-of-28 passes for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Wonder Boys had 199 yards rushing and 229 yards passing. Simpson caught three passes for 81 yards. Two of Ford’s three receptions were for touchdowns. Cassius Washington caught two passes for 64 yards. Marsh ended up with 69 yards rushing on nine carries. Lewis had 46 yards on eight runs before his injury.

Arkansas Tech, which won its first GAC game since beating Southeastern State for Homecoming in October 2011, travel to Southwestern Oklahoma State for a 2 p.m. next Saturday in Weatherford.